Utah State Representative Christine Johnson said Thursday she won't seek re-election, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Johnson is the second openly gay lawmaker to quit the Legislature in recent months.

“I'm not leaving because I'm giving up on the fight in Utah,” Johnson told the paper. “We have so many budding leaders [in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community] that I'm anxious to see who's going to step up next.”

The Salt Lake City Democrat has served two terms in the Utah House. She is a single mother and is currently serving as a surrogate for a male gay couple, who've had a difficult time adopting in the state.

Johnson, 41, brokered a compromise in January that puts gay rights legislation – both for and against – on the back burner for a year. Under the plan, Democrats agreed to drop three previously publicized pro-gay bills in exchange for a promise from opponents not to attempt to prevent local governments from approving measures that outlaw employment and housing discrimination during the current legislative session. Lawmakers who favor gay rights said the compromise would protect the state's first such law enacted late last year in Salt Lake City.

In December, openly gay Scott McCoy abruptly resigned his Senate seat.

Last year, Johnson and McCoy were instrumental in bringing a package of gay rights bills to the Utah Legislature, which rebuffed all five bills.

McCoy said he wanted to focus his attention on building his law practice.

Johnson said she would seek work as a gay rights advocate outside of Utah.